


Misunderstandings

by Eluvia



Category: The Course of Honour - Avoliot
Genre: Cheesy Romantic Gestures, Domestic Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 05:12:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13047204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eluvia/pseuds/Eluvia
Summary: Jainan isn't sure what Kiem is trying to apologize for, but he's enjoying the benefits nonetheless.





	Misunderstandings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thewalrus_said](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewalrus_said/gifts).



> Happy Yuletide, thewalrus_said! This was so fun to write, and I hope you enjoy it!

It had been a long night of work, and morning came all too soon. Jainan let out a tiny groan into the pillow as he fought to open his eyes, blinking a few times and glaring balefully at the sun streaming in through the window. 

He sat up carefully -- just because he had to get up didn't mean that Kiem did -- but Kiem wasn't there at all. A tray, however, was present, loaded with pancakes and fruit and cheese and even a cup of piper's leaf tea, still hot enough that a little plume of steam was rising from it.

_Oh, Kiem, what have you done now?_ Jainan thought, not without fondness. This was an apology if he'd ever seen one; he wasn't sure what bad news Kiem was buttering him up for, but he'd enjoy his breakfast in the meantime.

There was a note, he noticed as he picked up his mug. _JAINAN ♥_ , it read in Kiem's loopy scrawl. The heart was lopsided, and Kiem had drawn an arrow pointing to it, captioned _:( pretend this looks better_. Jainan's heart felt full, and he found himself smiling helplessly at the little piece of paper.

* * *

"Did you enjoy your breakfast?" Kiem asked him when he got home a few hours later.

"It was wonderful," Jainan said honestly, even as he waited for the other shoe to drop.

But there was no apology, and Kiem just beamed. "Good! I've never made piper's leaf tea before and I was worried I'd let it steep too long." He had, in fact, but Jainan would drink his tea a little stronger from here on out if it meant Kiem kept smiling at him like that.

* * *

Jainan was the first to awaken the next morning, and he had a moment of doubt -- did Kiem expect _him_ to bring him breakfast in bed?

But Kiem was already stirring, and if he was disappointed by the lack of food, it didn't show, his face settling into a sleepy smile as he saw Jainan. "Good morning," he said.

"Good morning," Jainan said, and leaned in to kiss him.

Kiem melted into it, like he always did, and his hands came up to rest in Jainan's hair the same way they always did -- reverently, like he wasn't sure why he was being allowed to touch. It was silly, Jainan thought, that Kiem seemed hesitant; Jainan was the lucky one, after all. 

They broke apart when Bel walked into the room, hand over her eyes like whatever she was seeing could strike her blind on the spot. 

"Good morning, Bel," Jainan said.

"We're decent, stop that," Kiem said, and Bel made a show of peeking through her fingers before dropping her hand.

"That's a lie," she said. "You're never decent."

* * *

They had breakfast together, the three of them, and then Jainan hurried to get ready. He had a full block of meetings, and his only break for the day lunch was with his sister -- which tended to be just as exhausting as work, though in a good way. He kissed Kiem goodbye and stepped out into the hallway just as Bel was leaving.

They chatted companionably as they walked, and it occurred to Jainan that _she_ would know what Kiem was trying to apologize for. "Did you help Kiem with the breakfast he brought me yesterday?" 

She rolled her eyes. "No, and not for lack of trying. He insisted on cooking it himself, so I apologize for any food poisoning and/or nightmares that may have followed."

"Oh," Jainan said, surprised. He hadn't realized Kiem had made it all himself, as he'd just assumed Kiem had arranged for it. "No, it was all wonderful. I just wondered if I should be thanking you as well."

She fixed him with a long look. "You must really be in love," she said. "Everyone knows Kiem's tea is undrinkable."

* * *

Lunch with Ressid was a welcome respite from the long meetings that day. They dined in the quarters she'd been assigned, and Jainan relished the privacy. 

A knock sounded just as they were finishing lunch, and a few moments later a messenger was entering the room, a little bemused, arms full of flowers. "For Count Jainan," she said, and Jainan stood to take them. His sister looked at him with amusement as he disappeared behind the mountain of flowers. 

There was a card. Unsurprisingly, they were from Kiem. Surprisingly, they were mountain wreath and elunia flowers -- from Thea, like the piper's leaf tea had been, and out of season to boot. "They're lovely," Ressid said. "I believe this is the first bit of home I've seen since I've been here."

"I think my husband has done something terrible that I don't know about yet, and is being nice to me just to make up for it," Kiem said. He flipped the card over. _Love you, miss you,_ it said, as though they hadn't seen each other hours before. Jainan found himself smiling. 

Ressid watched him, a small smile on her own lips. "Yes, I'm sure that's the reason," she said.

* * *

Kiem was late getting in, and Jainan was already asleep. Kiem was gone when he woke up, too, but there was a tablet beside him on the pillow. 

_Play me,_ the attached note said, so once he was up and ready for the day, he obliged. The tablet opened to a playlist, with a heading that read _For my husband_.

Jainan was in research mode today, and he left it on as he worked. One of the songs in particular caught his fancy, and he looped it while he worked; it was still playing when Kiem got home and stuck his head into the office that had once been the second bedroom. "You're listening to it!" he said, delighted. 

"Mostly this song," Jainan confessed. "It's all good, but this one --" 

"I thought you'd like it," Kiem said. "It reminded me of you."

Jainan looked up at him, hovering in the doorway, for a moment, and narrowed his eyes. "You've been exceptionally good to me the past few days," he said. "Is there something I should know about?" A thought occurred to him. "Or is there a holiday I didn't know about?"

"I like that of all possible situations, you went straight to 'Kiem did something he shouldn't have,'" Kiem laughed. "You wound me, darling. But to answer your question --" he paused, and Jainan noticed that his cheeks were flushed. "I just wanted to do something nice for you."

"Oh," Jainan said.

Kiem gave him an embarrassed smile. "Anyway, glad you like it. Come have supper with me when you're finished up here, would you?"

Kiem left, and he made it about five steps before Jainan caught up with him and had him pressed to the wall, kissing him soundly. "What was that for?" he asked when Jainan finally took a moment to breathe.

"I like you an awful lot, you know that?" Jainan said, and Kiem's flush deepened. 

"Well, good," he said, a little breathlessly. "I'm pretty fond of you, too."


End file.
